Light Up the Forest
This is a "movie". Enjoy! 'NOTE-' the format for this will be a little different. There won't be chapters, and there will be some verse. Enjoy! Light Up the Forest Once upon a time, There was a she-cat who talked too little and laughed too hard Who loved too well and dreamed too much. They took her aside and told her this was the first day she would truly live But they were wrong. That would come later. My mother once told me the forest had a beating heart. The hills had veins of blood, the mountains were made of stone and bone. She said if I just leaned down and listened hard enough, I could hear it. I would try all the time as a kit, long after my impatient sister gave up and ran off to play. Whenever I couldn't sleep, I would let the earth sing me a lullaby. Even when Amberpaw decided we were too old for kit's tales, I still believed that the earth lived and breathed beneath our paws. Unfortunately, now, all I can hear is the sound of my own heart, pounding in my chest. I want to stop for a break, but a twig cracks in the forest and terror courses through me. Even though my lungs scream and my legs, still an awkward length from my recent growth spurt, protest, I lurch forward. Just get to the hill, I tell myself. I try to gulp in as much air as possible without making noise. Just get to the hill and you're safe! I can't see the hill, but I do see a break in the trees. My heart leaps and I push myself. So lost in my excitement, I didn't notice the shadows creeping in the bushes, all the subtle hints that I had been found. At least, I didn't notice until it was too late. I heard him first. A fierce battle-cry, one I know well. A shriek pushes out of me and I turn to see a blur of maroon. I've lost. But then, quick as a snake, a brown she-cats darts in front of me. The maroon tom crashes into her and they tumble away. I want to help, but she looks up at me and mouths, go. So I do. I'm out of the forest now, running so fast, my paws barely kissing the earth before they rise back up. I'm going to make it! But then there's a yowl. I can see the hill now, rising gently above the forest. I can reach it, I can reach it, I can- A weight hits me from behind and I go down, yowling. I feel a paw pin me and I wail, "No fair!" Brackenpaw's amused voice answers, "Who said anything was fair?" "Fernpaw!" Amberpaw cries. I turn and see her green eyes looking at me disapprovingly, but from the way the sun dances off the golden flecks in them, I know she's teasing me too. "I saved you and you still lost?!" "It's a dumb game," we all turn to see Brackenpaw's brother, Lionpaw come out of the forest's shade. He rolls his amber eyes. "Seriously? Kit's play." "It's not!" Brackenpaw defends. "It totally simulates battle!" "How is running to a hill before the other team tags you like a battle at all?" Lionpaw demands. "Maybe it's kit-like for us, but it'll teach Fernpaw how to be brave!" Brackenpaw glances at me, whiskers twitching. "Hey!" Amberpaw steps up to defend me. I lower my head a little. "It's not her fault she screamed. You jumped out at her!" "You know, if you practiced your battle moves a little more, you wouldn't have to be scared," Lionpaw tells me. Hmph. Like he's so knowledgeable. Just because he and Brackenpaw are half a moon older than Amberpaw and I... "Well," Brackenpaw says, coming back to the original point as he lays down and looks up. The sky is reflected in his eyes, the blues melting together into something perfect, something the clouds would be proud to drift in. "What else are we going to do with our day off?" Lionpaw doesn't reply and Brackenpaw seems to take that as a sign of victory. He looks over at me, "You shouldn't be scared Fernpaw. You can kick tail if you want to, you're just too nice." "Too scared is more like it," Lionpaw mutters. Amberpaw swats him and I purr with Brackenpaw. "We've only been apprentices for a quarter moon," my sister says as she settles down, licking a spot on her shoulder. "We'll get better at fighting, get better at everything." I think back to a quarter moon ago. I was smaller, more frightened. My mentor, Hazelwing soon coaxed me into a semi-competent apprentice. While Amberpaw's mentor was showing her how to fight and feed the Clan, Hazelwing and I walked through the forest and she told me about how great this was. "This is the first day of the rest of your life," she'd said, her green eyes shining. "The first day you really start living. I still can't decide if she was right or not. "Another round?" Brackenpaw suggests. Lionpaw groans, but when we vote, it's still 3-1. "I call Fernpaw!" Amberpaw says loyally. I press against her and she purrs, giving me an affectionate nudge as she takes back off into the woods. "We're giving you until we get to fifty!" Lionpaw shouts. "One...two...three..." Amberpaw drops back a little so we can run together. I may not be the best fighter, but I can run as fast as the wind. Amberpaw's legs are longer, and she still has a little difficulty keeping up with me. Who cares if it's a kit game, as long as it's fun? "I wish...things could be like this...forever!" I pant to Amberpaw as we dash through the forest. She just grins and shakes her head. The forest wraps me in green Until everything else is washed away in a cascade of jade. How could anyone look at the trees, the hills, the mountains And not want to live among them? I grin as I see Lionpaw yawn. Amberpaw, Brackenpaw, and I are all focused on what our mentors are saying, but Lionpaw obviously wants to skip the lecture and get to the fighting. "The other three Clans," Hazelwing says. "Are different from us in many ways. Who can name some of them?" "AirClan lives on the moors," Amberpaw chirps. "WaterClan lives by the rivers and swamps, and FireClan lives in the plains." "Very good!" her mentor, Yarrowbite says. Amberpaw ducks her head, proud. Yarrowbite, true to her name, isn't mean, but can cut you into pieces with her words if she wants to. To get praise from her is like catching a cat-sized squirrel. Not to be outdone, Brackenpaw says, "They also hunt and fight differently because their territories are so different." He looks over to his mentor, Swiftstep, who nods. Boulderpad, a hulking tom, looks over at Lionpaw. "Anything else?" Lionpaw thinks, "Well....WaterClan's led by Waterstar....FireClan's led by Firestar-" "Great point!" Hazelwing interrupts before he can go further. "And they also have apprentices! Who can name the deputies and apprentices of each Clan?" There's a beat of silence, and finally, Amberpaw says, "Erm...FireClan's deputy is Orangeblossom?" a nod from Yarrowbite encouraged her. "And her apprentice is...Sunpaw? And then Firestar's apprentice is Rowanpaw, right?" "Excellent!" Hazelwing looks at me, "How about WaterClan?" I know this, I know this, I know this. "Waterstar's apprentice is...Darkpaw, right? And the deputy is Riverclaw....and his apprentice is..." I see the glint in Hazelwing's eye and realize the answer. "He doesn't have one!" "Very good," Hazelwing purrs. "I thought he did!" Brackenpaw protests. "His apprentice died....I think," Swiftstep looks over to the other mentors. They all shrug. "What about AirClan?" I ask. "Airstar's apprentice is Windpaw. His deputy is Silverstripe and at the moment, she doesn't have an apprentice." Yarrowbite rolls her eyes, "It's not so important for AirClan to have apprentices to their leaders because they're pacifists. Their leaders stay alive for ages." "Well it's not like any of the other leaders are going to die any time soon," Lionpaw says loudly. "We never do anything, besides train and patrol." Yarrowbite darts a look at Swiftstep, a look I almost miss because I'm wondering what it would be like to live in the other Clans. I wouldn't like WaterClan, you wouldn't be able to listen to the earth with all that water around. FireClan just sounds...lonely. All dusty and open and hot. Maybe AirClan would be nice- cool and free and light. EarthClan is still the best place to be, though. Paws down. "Alright!" Swiftstep suddenly announces. "Let's learn how to fight against cats from the other Clans!" Amberpaw and I jump up, Brackenpaw close behind. Lionpaw mutters about how we're never going to use it anyways, but he follows too. I'm sure we won't ever need to use what we're going to be taught. But better to be safe, rather than sorry, right? Have you ever lay in a soft nest, surrounded by trees? Been cradled by the forest, so you know you will never be alone? It becomes apart of you, So that sometimes you have to avoid growing roots and leaves It's home. By the time we get home, the sun is sinking beneath the trees. Green-gold shards of light are reflected and I stop, marveling at the sight. "What are you doing?" Amberpaw asks, stopping by me, curious. "It's just...really pretty," I say. "The forest and the light..." The light makes the gold in my sister's eyes dance and the forest brings out the green. Her whiskers twitch, "You are so weird sometimes." Ducking my head in embarrassment, I follow her as we catch up to our mentors and Lionpaw and Brackenpaw. When we get close enough to the camp to see it, I crane my neck to see what all the bustling is about. Cats are racing around, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Yarrowbite walks a little faster, her eyes glinting dangerously. Amberpaw's tail twitches, catching me on the shoulder. "What's going on?" I ask Brackenpaw. His father is in charge of our camp- a medium sized camp that is nestled between a few hills, blanketed with a forest. In other Clans, representatives- the cats from Main Camp who watch over the smaller camps- aren't allowed to have mates or kits, but that's never been the way of EarthClan. No one should ever be denied the right to love and be loved because of duty. Some think that's ridiculously sentimental. I think it's nice. "I don't know," Brackenpaw says. His blue eyes are narrowed in concentration, crinkling up his face as he thinks. We're entering the camp now, jostling cats and splintering away from each other. "Amberpaw!" I call, hoping she can hear me. "I'm going to find mom!" I hear a shout back from her, though I'm not quite sure what she says. I duck between two toms and dart into the dens. Winding my way between bushes and hollowed out trees and simple nests, I walk the same path I have for moons. Our den is nice. Small, but cozy. A bush with draping branches crouches over our nests. In the winter, it's tightly packed, but warm. In the summer, we sleep outside of it, under the stars, like most EarthClan cats do. My mother is sitting outside. She has my body build- narrow and all sharp angles- but we look nothing alike. Her pelt is flashes of brown on white- mine is a dull brown. Her eyes are a bright, dreamy amber- mine are a simple brown. I see my mother everywhere in Amberpaw- bravery and wit. I see her in my long legs and my narrow face. I don't see my father, which probably means he isn't here. He's fairly conspicuous, a huge stone gray tom with piercing green eyes tends to draw attention. Amberpaw isn't here either, at least not yet. I rush up to my mother, "What's going on?" "Messengers just came from Main," she says. Her eyes are clear, but worried. My mother believes in honesty, she's going to tell me what's happening whether I want to hear it or not. I suddenly wish I'd waited to ask my father. "WaterClan and FireClan have declared war on each other." My stomach drops, making me dizzy. War. Blood and gore and screams and- "EarthClan's not getting involved," my mother says. Her soft voice makes me look at her, and then her eyes hold me there. She won't let me slide backwards, into a place with no air, a place where panic is the only thing left. "At least, not yet." "What are we going to do?" I ask. I'm not necessarily talking about the two of us, but rather EarthClan. Everyone. My mother doesn't quite understand me. And that miscommunication leads her to dropping the worst news of all on me. "Well, your father and I have talked it over. This camp isn't too far from the WaterClan border and we don't want you and your sister to worry about raiding parties for the rest of your lives." I blink, not quite understanding. "We're going to Main Camp," my mother explains. "We'll be safe there." Forget my stomach, the very earth has dropped out from underneath me. I can't feel it's heartbeat and I certainly can't feel anything but panic. We're leaving this place. We're leaving my home. When the darkness comes asking Sometimes it doesn't want to go away Ever since I was little, I've had the fits. Trips to the medicine cat didn't reveal anything: they just came and went when I was stressed or scared. My stomach would cramp and sometimes I would get sick. My vision would go dark and sometimes narrow until I could only see one thing. I would start breathing quickly, like I couldn't get enough air. Sometimes I fainted. The panic attacks were something that I've dealt with all my life. They're embarrassing and they terrify me. Once I go into one, if just spirals down until I either end up passing out, or I just end up sick for days. With my mother's abrupt announcement, I feel the blood roaring in my ears. Feel my stomach start to roll. My heart pounds and I suddenly can't get enough air. Her eyes swiftly widen as she realizes what's happening. "Fernpaw, it's okay-" I'm running from the den though. I can't stay there, where the walls are closing in on me and my mother is trying to make me understand. Cats are walking and talking around me, some call out greetings. I do my best to respond, but with my air supply getting dangerously low, it's hard. Finally, I crash into the forest outside of the camp. I throw myself down on the ground and breathe in and out, trying to calm myself down. This is my home. This is where I was born, where I played with my sister, where I made friends and laughed and dreamed and where I thought I would spend the rest of my life. I don't want to leave, especially not because of a war that doesn't even concern EarthClan. We can't leave. We can't leave, we can't leave, we can't-'' "Fernpaw?" I screw my eyes shut, begging for StarClan to suddenly make Brackenpaw forget he's seen me and just wander away. I don't want to explain to him that I can't even handle the idea of an adventure, that the thought of leaving has caused something in my to just...break. That I'm crazy. "Fernpaw, what's wrong?" I open my eyes to see him crouched in front of me head tipped to one side. His eyes are narrowed in concern and I try to focus on them, try to calm down. "We're-we're m-moving." I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. "To Main." Brackenpaw gasps. Whether it's with envy or sadness, I can't tell. I look at him, try to will him to understand, "I-I can't leave, I c-can't...." "Hey," he soothes. "It'll be okay..." Awkwardly, he sits next to me so that our pelts brush against each other. "Why are you so scared?" Scared. I'm scared. "I just always thought things would stay the same..." He purrs, but not in an unfriendly way. "Things never stay the same." His eyes meet mine. "But they do get better." "Or worse," I purr and hiccup at the same time, feeling a fresh wave of embarrassment wash over me. "Nah, things will only get better for you," he reassures me. I purr again, feeling shaky but better. Brackenpaw has driven away the darkness with the lightness of his laugh. "Fernpaw?" I look up to see Amberpaw looking at me and Brackenpaw with wide eyes. Immediately, Brackenpaw shifts a little so we're not so close together. "Mom told me and I thought you would be..." Amberpaw's eyes flick to the tear trails on my cheeks, then to Brackenpaw and she clears her throat. "Well, I...I'm gonna go back to camp." "Amberpaw, wait!" I jump to my paws. How do I explain to her that she's still the only one who can bring me out of the darkness, the only one I need. When we were kits, she would always reassure me when I was scared of having to make new friends as an apprentice. ''We're sisters, she always said. We don't need anyone else. But I found someone else anyways. Amberpaw shoots me an unconvincing smile and pads back towards camp. Life is much bigger And you are much smaller Then you could ever imagine Category:Artimas Hunter's Fanfics